‘Hugging Saint’ Amma to embrace hundreds at Alexandra Palace

Hundreds of people will be queuing at Alexandra Palace today for the simplest of gifts – a hug from Indian spiritual leader Amma, the Divine Mother.

Amma-zing embrace: Hundreds will converge on London’s Alexandra Palace for the final two days of Indian spiritual leader Mata Amritanandamayi’s hugging marathon (Picture: Jeff Moore)

Amma spreads her arms to embrace all colours, faiths and creeds.

For 30 years, the Indian spiritual leader, real name Mata Amritanandamayi, has been offering strangers darshan – her unique brand of spiritual embrace – and is said to have doled out more than 30million hugs worldwide.

Divine mother: The Indian humanitarian and social reformer is famed for having embraced over 30 million people (Picture: Jeff Moore)

‘There’s a universal message of love that is the one thing that we are all drawn to in Amma,’ said Joolz Lewis, of Alexandra Palace in London. ‘She welcomes people of all colours, creeds and backgrounds. Her hugs are unconditional.’

Russell Brand, Sharon Stone and Susan Sarandon are just a few of the celebrities that have taken advantage of the Divine Mother’s free embraces. But Amma insists she does not discriminate and treats everyone the same, whether you’re famous or not.

Hugging Saint: Amma embraces one of her flock at the palace (Picture: Jeff Moore)

‘Everyone is equal. I just flow like a river depending on each person’s capacity to understand and to open up and each receives accordingly,’ Amma said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

‘I see everyone as an extension of myself. When the left hand is in pain, the right hand caresses it. I see everyone as my own self.’

Amma is visiting Alexandra Palace for the 24th year and will spend from 10.30am until 3am on hug patrol. The ‘Hugging Saint’ promises to meet every person that queues.